Hi! I'm Falla, the Canine Rehabilitation Assistant at the Keystone Blind Association! I'm also a dog guide for Sandie Myers, the Rehabilitation Teacher's Assistant for KBA. Sandie and I are part of a very important team, and this is our story. It all started at Guide Dogs for the Blind in San Rafael, CA, where, in 1992, I was born, one of a litter of seven Golden Retriever puppies. During my first 12 weeks I stayed at the school with my mother and my 6 other brothers and sisters, eating, sleeping, playing and growing. At the end of the first 12 weeks, the other puppies and I were told that we had an important job to begin, and that we would be entering a program to learn how to be Guide Dogs and help people with blindness! The first thing that happened was that I was sent to a loving family in Tuscon, AZ. I spent a year with them, and they taught me my manners (and thanks to them, I think I am a very well mannered dog!). I learned a lot from that family about how to be around people, how to be patient, and how to love. At the end of that year, they told me it was time to go back to Guide Dogs for the Blind for the next step in my training. Back at the school, I was introduced to my harness. Every day, I would wear my harness. My instructor wanted me to get used to the feel of the harness, and the feel of him holding the harness while I was in it. It wasn't long before the harness became a normal part of my everyday life. My instructor could give me commands while in my harness, and I did my very best to follow them. At the end of 6 months, they told me I had passed through the program and now I was a certified Guide Dog! I was so excited! Now I would get to be part of a team. But who would I be with, I wondered, and what would they be like? That answer came in March of 1994, when Sandie Myers, a woman with a visual impairment from Grove City, PA, came to Guide Dogs for the Blind to learn how to work with a Guide Dog. The school's instructor matched up Sandie's personality to the different dogs there, and they chose ME! On her 3rd day at the school, they brought us together to begin our work. I'll never forget the day we were introduced; our friendship was immediate. We spent a month training together, and I began helping Sandie with her daily living activities. I became Sandie's eyes and have dedicated myself to her protection! Sandie and I returned to Grove City together as a team, and I began my life as part of Sandie's family. Sandie has always taken the best care of me, and I am so happy to be with her. We have gone just about everywhere together, and I always help her as best I can by following her commands, assisting her if she drops things, and keeping her from danger. In August of 1998, Sandie and I came to work for the Keystone Blind Association in Sharon, PA. We made lots of new friends there, and I also received a new responsibility: I became KBA's Canine Rehabilitation Assistant. This means that Sandie and I give presentations at Elementary Schools and Senior Citizen Centers, teaching people about the do's and don'ts of guide dogs. Keystone Blind Association also has asked me to write a column for their newsletter, The Vista, so I keep pretty busy. Sandie and I even got to go on a local TV station's morning program together in October, 1999 and talk about safety for people with visual impairments! During the summer of 2002, I celebrated my 10th birthday! Wow! And I am  preparing for my dog guide 10-year evaluation! That means I can continue working with Sandie! Woohoo! And that's my story...I hate to brag, but its a wonderful life. I hope you enjoy clicking through my pages and learning more about guide dogs. Feel free to e-mail me with any questions you might have about guide dogs, and Sandie and I will do our best to answer them. Falla

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